Belt and buckle.



M. HOFFENBERG.

BELT AND BUCKLE.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 4. 1910.

1,146,161 Patented July. 13, 1915.

Fig- 1 Maurice Hof MAURICE HOFFENBERG, 0E NEW HAVEN, CONNECTICUT.

BELT AND BUCKLE.

Application filed November i', 1910. Serial Nb. 590.643.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, MAURICE HOFFENBERG, a citizen of the United States, and resident of New Haven, in the county of New Haven and State of Connecticut, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Belts and Buckles, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in belts and buckles particularly for use as a waist belt.

The object is to provide a simple and inexpensive construction which can be adjusted easily and quickly to accommodate any circumference within the limits of the dimensions of the belt and which will hold securely in any position.

The invention consists'in the construction of a buckle and belt as more fully hereinafter described and shown in the accompanying single sheet of drawings.

Figure l, is a perspective view of abuckle and belt embodying the improvements of my invention. Fig. 2, is a horizontal sectional view of a buckle and attached end of a belt on the plane of the line X of Fig. 1. Fig. 3, is a horizontal sectional view of a buckle showing the two ends of the belt in the position which they occupy when the belt is in use and showing in dotted lines the position the adjustable end of the belt takes when loosening the belt. Fig. 4, is a rear view of the buckle. Fig. 5, is a section of the plane on the line Y Y of Figs. 2 and 4.

In the drawings the reference letter B indicates the buckle which is made preferably all in one piece for instance, of a brass or composition casting and without any teeth or tongue. I

- The reference letter S indicates the strap of the belt for instance of leather which has one end secured to the buckle permanently insome suitable manner as by sewing, and the other end adapted to be adjustably engaged in the buckle.

The buckle frame consists of the upper bar 1, the lower bar 2 and-the two end bars 3 and 1. The frame is preferably curved as shownin the horizontal sectional views of Figs. 2 and 3 so as to better fit on the wearer and enable the adjustment to be properly made.

The upper and lower bars are connected by an attachment bar 5 for the strap near the end bar 3. This bar is located some- Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jul 13,1915.

in any suitable manner for instance by stitching as is common. Between the bars a and 6' is an opening 8 through which the end of the strap is inserted in attaching or detaching the belt. The opening 9 in the center of the buckle enables the wearer to insert one fingerlor thumb in the rear of the buckle] and by forcing the finger or thumb through the opening?) to draw the end of the strap into the dotted position shown in Fig. 3 so that it will more easily slip out and become disengaged from the buckle. Another opening 10 is provided between the bars 3 and 5 through which the end of the, strap is tucked and clamped.

The bar 3 carries a re'arwardly facing gripping shoulder 11 at its rear back of the front surface of the bar 5 and substantially on aline with the arc in whichthe rear surfaces of bars 5 and 6 are located. The proportion and co-location of the parts is such that when in the position of Fig. 2 the attached end 7 of the strap presses against the shoulder 11. When the end 1201? the strap is tucked through between the bight '7 and the bar 3 it is easy to tighten the strap but it cannot be loosened.

The rear of the bar 4 may be curved or beveled as at 13 to facilitate the insertion of the strap. To accommodate the adjustable end of the strap and m'ake the device fit more perfectly and prevent'its displacement I preferably locate the bars 5 and 6 so as to have the channels 14; and 15 in front thereof to accommodate the strap.

When the belt is adjusted the pressure of the shoulder 11 presses the tip 12 of the strap against the bight 7 of the strap and holds it securely in place. The circumference of the belt may be made smaller by simply drawing the belt tighter and vice versa. This construction affords a very secure clamp and the same buckle is adapted to different thicknesses of, straps. The thickness of the strap is therefore not important. This is a great convenience as it avoids the necessity of cutting the straps to exact gage. The exact thickness of the frame and the size of the openings in the buckle are unimportant. The frame should have considerable stiffness however and the ray- M,

strap should be of some material such as leather rather unyielding and inelastic.

The particular cross sectional shape of the bar 3 and the angular relation of the faces of the shoulder 11 is as shown in the 1 drawings. This permits the end 12 of the strap to be readily inserted 111 place and drawn up so as to tighten the belt but prevents the belt from becoming loose when in use. a

What I claim 1s:--

1. In a belt, the combination of a closed frame having upper and lower bars and end bars connecting the same, an attachment bar between the end bars connecting the upper and lower bars near one end bar, a strap having one end permanently secured to said attachment bar and leaving a passage between the strap and the adjacent end bar only slightly wider than the thickness of the strap, the end bar adjacent said attachment bar having an abrupt clamping shoulder at its inner rear edge and in rear of the front of the attachment bar for clamping and holding the adjustable end of the strap against the opposite end of the strap secured to the attachment bar, the opposite end bar being smooth where the strap passes in rear of it so as to permit the free passage of the strap, the entire tension on the strap being taken up at the point of engagement of the adjustable end of the strap between the said clamping shoulder and the opposite end of the strap where it is secured to the attachment bar, there being an opening interme diate the ends of the buckle wherethrough the free end of the strap may be unclaniped and loosened. p

2. A belt buckle comprising upper and lower bars arranged on a curve convex toward the front of the buckle, end bars integrally connected with the upper and lower bars and forming a solid frame, an attachment bar 5 for a strap connected to the upper and lower bars at the rear thereof and near one end bar, said end bar having a clamping shoulder at its inner rear edge projecting rearwardly and toward the attachment bar and located rearwardly of the forward surface of the attachment bar, said clamping shoulder being spaced apart from the attachment bar a distance substantially twice the thickness of the strap to be used,"

and a uide bar 6 inte rall connectin the t) t) I D upper and lower bars at the rear thereof adjacent the opposite end bar, said guide bar and said latter end bar being smooth at the rear and spaced apart suiiiciently to permit of a free passage of the end of a strap, there being an opening intermediate the ends of the buckle wherethrough the fr e end of the strap may be unclai pod and loosened.

3. A waist belt comprising a rigid buckle frame having upper and lower bars, end bars connected at each end to said upper and lower bars, one end bar having an abrupt gripping shoulder at its rear inner edge extending the height of the frame and an attachment bar connecting the upper and lower bars at the rear near said gripping shoulder, and a strap permanently secured to said attachment bar for passing around the waist of the wearer and having its opposite end adapted for adjustable connection with said buckle, said buckle frame having an opening to receive said adjustable end of said strap from the rear, said adjustable end of said strap being adapted to pass backward through said buckle beneath said gripping shoulder and outside of the permanently attached end of said strap, the tension on the strap and relative position of the strap ends and the buckle holding the strap from slipping, there being an opening intermediate the ends of the buckle wherethrough the free end of the strap may be unclamped and loosened.

i. In combination with a strap of a buckle having a bar intermediate its ends to which bar one end of the strap is attached, an inwardly extending shoulder adjacent to said bar, said shoulder extending rearwardly of the rear face of the bar, the free end of the strap being threaded through an opening adjacent the opposite end of the buckle and also through the opening between said bar and shoulder, the fixed end of the strap by its tension serving to clamp the free end against said shoulder, there being an opening in said buckle intermediate its ends wherethrough a finger may be inserted to disengage the free end of the strap from said shoulder and loosen the same by exerting an outward pressure upon the strap.

, MAURICE HOFFENBERG. Witnesses Torr RENO, A. VVITZ.

Copies of this patent may he obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Yatents, Washington, D. G. 

